A Passion Revived
by AriEmeraldstar
Summary: May's back in Sinnoh, but she's hiding something. When the trio find a woman living with a ranch full of pokemon and plenty of secrets of her own, can the two help each other to overcome their hardships? Rated T for language and Advshippyness - may go up
1. Chapter 1

**"A Passion Revived": chapter 1**

The sun was beginning to set over Route 209, turning the landscape into something resembling a burning painting. The tall grasses shone with a flaming orange, their tips brushed with pure gold, while the rivers and streams of the watery route were dyed a passionate red. Majestic trees were reduced to nothing more than silhouettes outlined in brightness.

Despite the beauty, Ash Ketchum sighed as he watched the sun set. To him, all it meant was another night of camping out. _'There's only so much natural beauty a guy can take before he starts missing a real bed again...'_

"Pi-kaaa..."

Ash turned his head and placed a comforting hand on Pikachu's head. He knew Pikachu was thinking the exact same thing he was. "I know, Pikachu, but it's just one more night before we get to Solaceon Town."

"But that means one more night out _here_, Ash!" May replied, also sighing. "Maybe you haven't noticed, but it's going to be winter soon – and might I remind you that Sinnoh is the northernmost region we've been to so far? That means only one thing to me – it's _cold."_

Ash gave a lopsided smile at his friend, newly come from the contest circuit in Johto. May simply wasn't used to the climate of the Sinnoh region, not after traveling for so long in Kanto and Johto, and certainly not after being born and raised in the Hoenn region, the warmest region Ash knew of (aside from the tropical Orange Islands). Ash had been in the Sinnoh region a bit longer, and had simply had more time to adjust to it.

He had long since earned all eight badges of the Sinnoh region, defeating Volkner for his eighth about eight months ago. However, that had been just after the Sinnoh League had been held – the next one wouldn't be held until the following year. Brock had wanted to spend some time back at the library in Canalave, and wanted Ash to come with him. Iron Island, he'd said, would be a perfect place to train for the League. Dawn had refused, wanting to spend more time in Hearthome City for contest training.

Convinced, Ash boarded a ferry with him out of Sunnyshore, a special one which only ran from Canalave up to Snowpoint City, then back down to Sunnyshore before completing the circuit around the region. He had been shocked to see a large, trans-region ship docking into Canalave at the same time, and was even more surprised to see May disembarking it. The trio had, just like old times, been traveling around ever since, though only to May's contests. Now they were on their way to Solaceon Town, where May wanted to see how if newly-aquired and bad-tempered Glameow might do any better at the Day-Care Center there.

"So where are we spending the night, Brock?" Ash asked, causing Pikachu's ears to perk up expectantly.

Brock, sitting on a rock nearby, unfolded the map again. "Well, the Lost Tower's just up ahead, and that'll at least give us a roof."

May shuddered slightly, and Ash wasn't any fonder of the idea of spending another night in a tower full of ghost pokemon, like he had done so long ago when he had first started out. Even Pikachu seemed to remember that night, as he cringed on Ash's shoulder and shivered. "Any other options, Brock?"

"Besides camping? Not really." Brock replied gently, but bluntly, as he stood. "Come on, let's keep heading that way anyway. We might find something that's not on the map." Grudgingly, the other two also stood and began to follow the elder breeder.

It was about ten minutes later that they reached the tower, and with it, their marker proclaiming the last five miles before Solaceon Town. "Well, here's the tower." Ash remarked. "So, do we push on, or – hey! Pikachu! Come back!"

Pikachu had been half-asleep on Ash's shoulder during the ride, but now, his ears and nose twitched, picking up something new. There was pokemon-scent in the air, and lots of different kinds, too. That could only mean a trainer, but a trainer with this many pokemon couldn't be traveling. There were far more than six pokemon in those woods, he was sure. So Pikachu bounded off Ash's shoulder, dashing straight for the woods beyond the tower.

With cries of surprise and alarm, the trio took off after Pikachu, dodging through the thick undergrowth for about fifty yards before they hit an old, but clearly still usable, trail. Pikachu was sitting on it, waiting for them. As soon as they burst into view, Pikachu flicked his tail and pointed down the path. "Chuuu, Pi-_ka!"_

Ash bent down, scooping Pikachu up in his arms before looking down the path where Pikachu had been pointing. "What do you think?"

"Well, Pikachu seems to think it's safe." May said slowly. "And from the looks of it, I'd guess someone lived down this way."

"Yeah, but someone who lives this far off the beaten path also probably doesn't want to be disturbed." Brock warned.

"Aw, come on, Brock – let's give it a try." May pleaded. "Worst case scenario, we camp out, and that'll be better than spending the night in that creepy old tower."

Brock looked over at Ash, who shrugged. "Pikachu seems to think we should go, so I'll trust him."

Brock sighed. "All right then...let's get going.

--------------------

Night had fully claimed the land by the time the trio broke out of the woods. Where once was orange and gold, now there was rich blues and violets, and a nearby river seemed to have diamonds littering it's bottom. The sky itself appeared pitch-black, with bright pinholes of light poked in it. There was no moon that night to light the large, open space they appeared in.

The first thing they noticed, much to their delight, was a modestly-sized, two storey house, with several of the lower floor's lights on, as well as one of the upper storey's. Behind it was a fenced in area, but it was absolutely huge. The wooden fence extended even across the river and back slightly into the forest. _'Looks like a ranch of some sort.'_ Ash thought, and even as he thought it, the large, blocky shape of a barn caught his eye.

"Think anyone's around?" May whispered.

A low growl suddenly emerged from the trees to their right, and Pikachu leapt of Ash's shoulder, cheeks crackling with electricity, fur stiffened, and tail raised in a defensive posture.

A figure stepped out of the shadowy gloom, then another. It was a woman, who looked to be around two years older than Ash's own eighteen years, around the same age as Brock. She was fairly short, too, maybe five three or somewhere thereabouts. Her skin was dark, but her hair was long and red-blonde in color. Hard, emerald green eyes were so cold and calculating that Ash got a chill down his spine just looking at them.

The woman put her hand at the base of her Houndoom's neck, silencing it's growl. "What are you kids doing on my property?" she asked, with no trace of emotion.

"L-looking for someplace to spend the night." Ash replied. The woman snuffed.

"Trainers. It figures."

"Ma'am, if you tell us to, we'll be happy to leave right now." Brock presented, strangely not becoming instantly infatuated with this woman as he did so many others. Ash thought it was probably her cold confidence that froze him before he even got warmed up. "Won't we, guys?" the former gym leader continued, giving Ash and May a look.

The woman sighed, and Ash thought he heard her mutter something like "I must be going insane..." before she answered them. "I must be out of my mind for saying yes, but what the hell? You can stay the night."

"Th-thank you!" May stuttered, surprised. The woman waved a hand.

"No trouble, I guess. A helping hand must always be useful for a trainer. Just introduce yourselves to Cerbera, here." She gestured down at the Houndoom standing patiently at her side. "Just hold the back of your hand out to her and let her sniff it – if she doesn't like you, you aren't staying."

Pikachu was the first to approach the larger pokemon, who bent down to make her inspection. With a final whuff, she licked the top of Pikachu's head gently and looked back up at the woman, barking once.

Seeming to understand her pokemon's bark as a sign of passage for the trainers, based on the Pikachu, the woman nodded. "All right then – come on. The house is this way."

Ash smiled, scooping Pikachu back up. "Thanks again, uh..."

"Laura." the woman replied. "Name's Laura Cooper. You three can introduce yourselves inside, where it's warm." May practically squealed at the mention of warmth, and was the first to follow behind Laura and Cerbera into the house.

It was a cozy place, but at the same time seemed to hold a great loneliness. Inside, Laura shed her long black coat, revealing a blue shirt, jeans, and working shoes. "So...what are your names, then?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Yeah, forgot the disclaimer last time...I own nothing! If I were Ken Sugimori, then I sure as hell wouldn't be wasting my time writing a fanfiction of my own work when I could be basking in the millions upon millions (or possibly billions) of dollars my creation has earned in the past 10 years, now, would I?**

**And as for concerns that the first chapter was too summary-heavy...hey, I only get about 300 characters or so to put up for the summary under the title, and that includes spaces and punctuation marks. So it's either leave out the backstory and leave everyone hanging as to why May is suddenly in Sinnoh, where Dawn is, and why Ash isn't challenging the League, or deal with one rather summary-heavy chapter. I'd rather the latter.**

**Anyway, other than that little rant, enjoy chapter 2! **

**"A Passion Revived": chapter 2**

"My name's Ash, and I'm from Pallet Town in Kanto," Ash answered, offering his hand. Laura took it, but only for a brief moment before she turned her hard emerald eyes towards May.

"I'm May," she said a little nervously, "and I'm from Petalburg City."

"Petalburg," Laura repeated softly, the hard expression in her face momentarily flickering. She shook her head and quickly turned to Brock. "And you are?" she asked.

"I'm Brock from Pewter City, and I'm trying to become a Pokemon breeder," he said.

At this, Laura finally showed some open emotion, a small smile twitching on the ends of her lips. "A breeder, huh? I do a bit of breeding here myself."

"Pika pi!" Pikachu piped out, not wanting to be left out of the introductions. Laura glanced down, then knelt and offered a cupped palm to Pikachu, who rubbed up against it with a happy "Chaaaaa!"

"I've got a bit of a problem with one of my Tauros," she said to Brock as she rose, dusting her jeans off slightly as Pikachu went back to Ash. "He doesn't seem to want to run around with the rest of my pokemon, and he hasn't left the barn in a week. I've tried everything I can think of to get him running again, but nothing will work."

"A sick Tauros?" Brock asked, frowning. "I've never really worked with a Tauros before. I don't know if there's much that I'll be able to do."

"I'm sure you'll be able to figure out something." Laura replied, grabbing him by the arm and leading him rather forcefully towards the door. As they neared it, Laura turned and threw a sharp warning look at Ash and May.

"Don't touch anything and don't fool around." she growled. "I don't want to come back in and find my couch soiled by a couple of teens."

_"S-soiled?"_ May spluttered, not quite believing what she'd just heard. Laura ignored her and slammed the door shut; through the rattling glass they heard her give a short whistle for Cerbera who had remained on guard outside.

"Soiled...? Honestly, what does she think..." May repeated disbelievingly again, shaking her head slowly. Ash raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What's the big deal?" he asked, his tone perfectly naive. "She just doesn't want us to get her couch dirty with dust from the road."

"And he still doesn't get it..." May sighed under her breath, shaking her head once more.

"Pika..." Pikachu agreed from Ash's shoulder as he gently smacked his forehead, mocking Ash's obliviousness. Ash glanced at the two of them, still slightly confused. After a moment, he sighed and started looking around the room.

"Wow," he said, "if I didn't know any better, I'd think I was back in the Old Chateau." May's gaze followed his, her eyes roaming around the house. The room they stood in was large, and lit by a combination of a ceiling fixture and several candles scattered around the room, many resting on grand wooden tables and cabinets. The floor was wooden as well, but a large, ornate rug covered much of it's surface; May was awed at the craftsmanship of the Ho-ohs woven in golden thread on the crimson background.

Something about it all made her feel uneasy, though. The doorways at the far side of the room were wreathed in deep shadow where the candlelight and electric light didn't quite reach. Thin layers of dust lay on the furniture's surfaces, interrupted only by the occassional ring on the table where a glass may have recently sat, and the rug's threads were faded and dusty as well. A cool, almost empty atmosphere pervaded the house, and May shivered with a sudden chill that had nothing to do with the dropping temperature outside.

"It almost looks as if it's been deserted for a long time." she agreed, "or that it hasn't been taken care of very well." A sudden, soft chill concentrated on her upper forearm, and May froze for a split second before beginning to tremble slightly. A small gulp ran down the length of her throat; she slowly turned to look at what had caused the chill, and found herself staring into a two large white eyes wreathed in a billowing purple flame. "ASH! she screamed, leaping sideways in a panic. Ash, who had moved slightly away and was observing one of the handsome glass-fronted cabinets, whirled at her shout, so quickly that he almost lost his balance; his hand automatically reached for his belt as May scrambled away to duck behind his arms, grabbing his shoulders tightly.

"Pi..." Pikachu growled, jumping forwards with it's red cheeks sizzling. The eyes widened, and then lowered towards the ground, gaining a creased look. Pikachu and May looked on in bewilderment at the sad expression, while Ash merely chuckled.

"And just _what_ is so funny, Ash Ketchum?" May demanded, her voice and hands still a little shaky after her fright.

"It's only a Gastly, May." he answered, stepping forwards towards the two large eyes. They immediately brightened at his approach and the Pokemon moved forwards, it's outline shimmering slightly as it's true form was revealed.

"And I thought we were trying to avoid Ghost-types," May muttered as she turned slightly away, cheeks reddening slightly with embarrassment. The door banged open and Laura stormed inside, glaring at Ash and May accusingly.

"What's all this racket about?" she demanded. "I've got a sick Pokemon in the barn, and all of the screaming is _not_ helping anything!"

"Your Gastly was just introducing itself to us." Ash said with a nonchalant smile.

"Is that it?" Laura snorted, raising an eyebrow as if unconvinced. With a small growl, she moved back towards the door, rubbing a temple hard before glowering over her shoulder at all four of them as she went. "Try to keep the noise level down to a minimum," she said obviously trying to remain calm, slamming the door as she left. Ash, May, Pikachu, and the Gastly looked at the door, too surprised to move.

"That woman," May said at last, "has a real attitude problem."

**Reviewers get cookies. And not the bad kind that slow down your computer, either. But no cake -- THE CAKE IS A LIE, B*TCH!** **^_^**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hurray, loyal reviewers! ^_^ *gives out the cookies I promised***

**LuciferIX: Thought I'd start off by saying awesome pen name you've got there. :-) I'm so glad you like this story; it's actually a really great compliment to hear someone say that they aren't sure where this is going. Also, you'll rarely have to worry about grammatical or spelling errors from me -- there will be occasional typos, per human nature, but in general, my inner grammar Nazi keep them at bay ^_~**

**Major Mike Powell III: I'm glad you like that line -- nothing's wrong with a little humor here and there, I think. However, I just want to make you aware that, later on, updates may not come as fast as they are now. I don't have this whole story down, only up until about chapter 8. So while I'll do my best to keep it going and will look forward to everyone's comments, just keep in mind that this won't always be updated so regularly.**

**Disclaimer: Wish I owned Pokemon...but I don't.**

**A Passion Revived: chapter 3**

Larua sighed, leaning against her door after closing it and closing her eyes, letting her head thunk back against the wood. She really shouldn't be yelling at those kids like that, she knew. But it had been a long day, and even longer since she'd had visitors. And that girl...she'd said she was from Peatalburg. Hoenn.

Her eyes opened when she heard Cerbera whine as she trotted out from the barn. Now was not the time to be thinking about that. "Coming, girl." she called tiredly, heaving herself off the door and starting off toward the barn.

The Tauros which Brock knelt beside lifted his head and lowed weakly as she entered. Laura went straight over to him, also kneeling beside him. "Shh, Panic...it's all right. Everything's going to be okay." she whispered, cradling his head and stroking it comfortingly.

Brock stood, dusting his hands lightly. "His name's Panic?" Laura nodded, opening her eyes and looking up at the breeder. "Well, then, I'm pretty sure Panic's going to be all right. He's not seriously ill -- if I had to liken it to something, it would be a cold. I've got some special food in my bag I'd like to recommend, along with keeping him warm and well hydrated. What worries me more is your other pokemon -- he might have spread it to them, particularly those in his herd. Have any other of your pokemon been showing his symptoms?"

Laura rose immediately to get a blanket. A soft growl sounded form the direction she was heading -- a Mightyena, asleep on the blanket she wanted. He grumbled a bit when Laura nudged him with her toe, but nonetheless rose and stalked off to find a new place to sleep. "I've got a Rapidash and a couple Ponyta that stall in here when it's cold out." she replied as she walked back toward Brock and spread the blanket carefully over Panic. "Yena, the Mightyena you just saw, likes to hang around here as well. I've got a pack of Eevee and various evolutions, but they like to stay in the barn down by the lake...they've been known to come in here too, though. Levi, my Meowth, likes to prowl around at night -- I don't know where she is now. I've got two or three Growlithe and a Vulpix who like to den here, and my birds like to roost in this one. And there's Cerbera, of course -- she goes where I go." she added, patting her faithful Houndoom affectionately. Cerbera seemed to smile up at her trainer as she wagged her rope-like tail. "As far as I've noticed, though, none of them have been acting strange."

Brock gave a low whistle. "That's a lot of pokemon."

Larua shrugged. "Not really. There's a lot more, trust me. They've just accumulated over time, so it never seemed like a lot before. Brock, may I ask you to please stay, until Panic is better? I'd be greatly in your debt."

"Of course." Brock replied as Laura turned down the lamps and they headed back toward her house. "You're very devoted to your pokemon, aren't you Ms. Cooper? If you don't mind me asking."

Laura was silent for a moment, her eyes trained ahead. "Who am I to deny another living being?" she finally replied softly. "I care for them as best I can when they're sick, give them what love and affection I have, and protect them from everything I can. In turn, they stay here and keep me company, protecting me as best they can when I need it, and sometimes working when I ask them to. We're close."

Brock nodded, not responding. This Laura person wasn't so bad, he decided. Just anti-social, with people anyway. He had a feeling that it had taken a lot for her to ask him to stay and care for Panic, and he decided right then to make it as easy for her as possible.

--------------------

He knew that that would be a difficult promise to keep. He knew it as soon as he and Laura reached the house. A Haunter had appeared, drifting off in a corner of the room. He had apparently startled May, who had backed up into a desk, knocking one of her pokeballs and releasing the pokemon inside. Unluckily, it was her Glameow. She had immediately scratched May's leg, which was bleeding profusely, and then proceeded to go after Pikachu. Ash was torn between protecting Pikachu and staying by May's side, trying to stop the blood. A Meowth -- this must be Levi -- appeared to be acting as a keeper of the peace in the household that night, and had pounced on Glameow. The two cats were now scrapping noisily on the floor, Glameow being extremely rough. Both Ash and May looked up in horror when Laura entered the room, as though afraid that she would smite them down with fire and lightning.

Laura almost looked as though she was ready to do just that. Her muscles tensed, fists clenching, and Brock even thought he saw one of them tremble lightly in rage. Amazingly, she calmed herself, and raised her head. "Rai!"

A Pikachu stuck it's head out from atop a bookshelf with an inquiring "Chuu?" Laura nodded down towards the cats, and the Pikachu flicked it's tail, jumping down and bracing himself as his cheeks began crackling. In a flash, the room smelled of burned fur. Levi and May's Glameow froze, charred slightly. The Pikachu raised his head somewhat proudly, turning to jump towards Laura, who caught him in her arms. His slightly tattered tail and ear tips spoke either of great age or hard battling -- it was hard to tell.

"Thanks, Rai." Laura said, stroking the Pikachu's head softly before turning to May, who blanched deathly white. "Is this your Glameow?" Laura asked calmly. May nodded shakily, as if too frightened to speak.

"It wasn't her fault!" Ash broke out. "She only just caught it, and it's got a really bad temper -!"

Laura raised a hand, silencing him. "May, please recall your pokemon, and then I'll clean you up in the bathroom. Since Brock's agreed to stay and help me take care of my Tauros, I'll assume it's a package deal and you'll be staying as well. I'm not angry, and I should apologize for my rude behavior earlier. It's been an extremely long time since I've had guests, and I'm a bit rusty in the hospitality department. Brock, will you please fill Ash in as I clean up May?"

May rose, letting Laura support her as she called her Glameow back. Rai, seeming to sense that he was no longer needed, hopped down and began introducing himself to Ash's Pikachu. "It's all right." May replied as Brock nodded and the girls headed off toward the bathroom. "I'm sorry, though. Your Haunter startled me, and I accidentally let Glameow out."

"Gaspar? Now I should apologize -- he likes to scare everyone when he can. I'm sorry I didn't warn you. Now, sit right here. I've got some alcohol and bandages under the sink. After I've patched you up, maybe you can let me take a look at your Glameow."

May hesitated a moment, then nodded. "Sure."

**Reviews make me happy. :-) It is wise to keep the authoress happy.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Huzzah for my reviewers! ^_^**

**Oh, and to Confused - sorry if it wasn't clear, she's got a Gastly **_**and**_** a Haunter.**

**A Passion Revived: chapter 4**

May winced as Laura gently, but firmly, applied the stinging alcoholic salve to her slashed leg, and tightly wrapped a bandage around the injury. She stood, up, testing the leg gently. It twinged, but she could walk without too much discomfort. _'At least it isn't bleeding now'_ she thought privately, with a small wince. _'But it still hurts -- a lot.'_ She looked up into Laura's expressionless face and felt suddenly nervous.

"Thanks for getting me cleaned up," she said with a small bow, amazed that she had been able to keep her voice calm. Laura nodded stiffly in return.

"No worries. Brock's helping my Tauros, so I figure that means tit-for-tat. Now, lets take a look at your Glameow."

"Don't you want to check on your Meowth first?" May asked, tilting her head slightly with a confused air. "It got shocked too."

"Who, Levi? She gets shocked at least twice a day. She just loves chasing Rai around the house." At this, she actually let out a small chuckle, her eyes suddenly growing distant as she turned slightly away from May. "It used to drive him mad," she sighed, almost as if she wasn't aware she was speaking aloud.

"Drive who mad?" May asked curiously. Laura froze, her austere expression quickly returning to her face.

"Never you mind," she said sharply. "Are you going to let me take a look at your Glameow or not?"

Startled at the sudden shift in emotion, May looked into Laura's stern eyes and could plainly see that the conversation was over. With only the slightest hesitation, she nodded and handed the Poke Ball over to her, before standing and moving to the door with minor difficulty. When she reached the door, however, she paused and turned her head back, thinking she should at least say something to close the conversation. "Thank you again for taking care of my leg." was all she could manage, along with another small bow.

"Mrph." Laura murmured, barely sparing a glance for the young coordinator as she examined the Poke Ball intently. May sighed to herself and left the room quickly, glad to get away from the woman.

_'What's with her?'_ she wondered as she made her way back through the halls. _'She seemed so nice a moment ago, but as soon as I asked her a question…'_ She grimaced and shook her head, wandering into the main room. _'I'll be glad to leave here,'_ she thought as she flopped down on the couch which she had earlier been ordered not to 'soil.' It was large, and rather plush -- just soft enough to ease your bones after a hard day of work, though still firm enough to provide ample support. May sighed again, sinking deeper into the fabric. _'It's been nothing but unpleasant since we got here. I really hope that her Tauros is better tomorrow so we can just go.'_

"You don't really mean that, do you May?" Brock asked.

May yelped, jumping almost a foot off the couch before grasping at her heart in surprise and whirling on the breeder who sat relaxed on a couch at the other end of the room. "Don't scare me like that!" she demanded. Brock grinned and held up his hands.

"Easy, easy. I didn't mean to surprise you," he chuckled slightly as he stood and came over to her, leaning over the back of the couch to talk to her.

"Well you sure did a good job of it!" May shot back. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her racing heart. The realization of what Brock had just said crept slowly into her sane thoughts, and she groaned. "Please tell me I didn't say that out loud…" she muttered, burying her head in her hands.

"You didn't have to." Brock said with another small chuckle. "It was written all over your face." His light mood evaporated suddenly, and a light frown came to his face. "You really shouldn't think that way, May. Laura just isn't used to having any guests, and it's a real strain on her. You shouldn't be surprised if she's a little, um… cold, towards us." May sighed and looked up at him.

"I know Brock, and I am glad that we'll be in beds tonight instead of a field, but she could still be a little nicer, couldn't she?" She sighed again and suddenly realized someone was missing. "Hey, where's Ash?" she asked. Brock nodded towards the door.

"He went outside to train again. You know how much he wants to win the Sinnoh Championship and challenge the Elite Four. It was just plain bad luck that he didn't get that last badge in time to qualify, especially since Paul made it all the way to the semi-finals."

"He really wants to beat him next year, doesn't he?" May smiled, standing up with a light stretch. "I think that I'll go out and train with him actually. I haven't sparred in a while, and it'll feel good to get some practice in." Brock nodded approvingly, smiling again.

"That's the spirit! A little battling and your spirits will be up again in no time! Oh, and, May..?" She paused and turned back to him, her handle on the doorknob.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Don't worry about Laura, or your last two Contests either." he said gently. "A little boost, and things will be back to normal before you know it." May stared at him for a moment before flashing a quick, tight smile, and hurrying out the door. It closed with a click and Brock leant back on the couch, feeling suddenly tired. "It's exhausting trying to take care of Ash's morale, May's sensitivity, Laura's introvertness, and a sick Tauros," he grumbled to himself.

"Ghaaasss," an eerie voice agreed from behind his shoulder.

"Haunta-haunt," a second voice concurred in his ear.

"Whhargh!" Brock screamed, leaping up and sprinting out of the house in surprised terror. Laura's Gastly and Haunter looked at each and chuckled at a prank well-pulled.

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"Sceptile, use Bullet Seed! Grotle, counter it with your Razor Leaf!" Ash shouted.

"Sceeeeep," the powerful grass-type from Hoenn growled, shooting out several forceful blasts of glowing green seeds.

"Gro-o-o-o-o…" Grotle groaned, a flurry of razor-sharp leaves blasting from the bushes on it's back. The two attacks collided in mid-air, exploding on contact. Grotle started to grin when a sudden hail of seeds emerged from the smoke and struck it on the head, driving the grass-type back with a slight yelp of pain.

"Grotle, are you alright?" Ash called.

"Otle gro," it affirmed, shaking it's head to clear away the impact and looking over at it's towering opponent with defiance.

"Great, lets try that again!" Ash said happily. "Remember, Grotle, just because the attacks hit each other instead of the opponent, it doesn't mean that you automatically stop them. You have to assume that the opponent will keep attacking too! Ready? Sceptile, Bullet Seed and Grotle use Razor Leaf!"

Grotle grinned and waited for Sceptile to launch it's attack. The fully-evolved starter shot a cloud of green seeds at Grotle, who began to glow green. Leaves began to swirl around it, forming into a powerful vortex. The Bullet Seed was deflected by the rapidly-swirling leaves, which then charged towards Sceptile, capturing it completely off-guard.

"Leaf Blade it!" Ash ordered, and Sceptile swung a glowing green blade at the vortex. The two attacks collided, the Leaf Blade slicing through the maelstrom of leaves and dissipating it entirely. Ash and Sceptile both stared at the rather smug Grotle in perplexity. "Was that… Leaf Storm?" he wondered.

"Sure looked like it to me," May said, walking out of the shadows to stand next to him.

"Hey May, all patched up?" he asked, looking at her bandaged leg.

"Yeah, thankfully. She's looking at Glameow now; I hope that it'll be okay, Rai gave it a really nasty jolt."

"I really want to battle that Pikachu," Ash sighed, a look of longing on his face. "You can tell just by looking at it how experienced and powerful it is. The attack it used made my hair stand on end! I know that Pikachu and I could learn a lot by battling it."

"How about trying me on instead?" May asked. "I haven't battled in a while, and my Pokemon are crying out for some practice."

"I'd love to," Ash grinned. "How do you want to do it?"

"Is a two-on-two double battle okay with you?" May asked.

"Absolutely! Since they're already out, I'll use Sceptile and Grotle."

"Then I'll go with Glaceon and Wartortle!" May decided, calling her two Pokemon forward. "You ready Ash?" she asked.

"Always," he laughed. "Sceptile, Bullet Seed on Wartortle and Grotle, Bite Glaceon!"

"Block that Bullet Seed with your Shadow Ball, Glaceon; Wartortle, use Ice Beam!" May shouted.

The Bullet Seed and Shadow Ball collided, seeds and streams of glowing light shooting off haphazardly in all directions. Grotle dodged both attacks and ran in close towards Glaceon, before the Ice Beam smashed into it's side. Winded, it was forced backwards from the impact and looked at the water-type with an aggravated eye.

"STOP!" a voice roared. Ash, May, and their Pokemon all turned towards the source of the voice, cringing at the ferocity of it.

"Oh no," May moaned when she realized that it was Laura. She looked at them all thunderously, Cerbera growling softly at her side.

"Just what are you doing?" she asked, her voice dangerously low.

"We were just practicing," Ash said defensively. "I need to train for the Sinnoh League, and May wanted some more practice for her Contests."

"Contests?" Laura asked sharply, her gaze resting on May. "You're a Coordinator?"

"Not a very good one recently," she admitted. "I used to be okay though."

"Okay?" Ash asked in disbelief. "May, you made it to the Hoenn Grand Festival in your first year, and made it to the top 8 in the Kanto Festival. You're more than okay!"

"Why do you say that you aren't very good?" Laura asked interestedly.

"It's a long story," May muttered, not very interested in telling any tales of woe.

"It's a long night," Laura retorted. 'Now you just sit yourself down and tell me what's been going wrong."

**Remember kids, more reviews equals more updates! ^_~**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ah, the sweet smell of reviews on a cold, rainy morning - there's just nothing better. A lot of you seem impatient to know what's going to happen between Laura and May! Well, it might not turn out quite like you think. However, no spoilers - I'll just let you read and find out on your own!**

**DISCLAIMER: I've been pretty bad about remembering these...but we all know I don't own Pokemon, right?**

**A Passion Revived: chapter 5**

May bowed her head and scuffed her foot against the ground, trying to figure out a way to avoid confessing her failures to this woman. It wasn't that she was telling them to a stranger, but even Ash and Brock didn't know the full story. The truth was, she had also failed in the Johto circut, winning only two ribbons. Even those wins had been flukes, with one of her opponents being disqualified for using illegal moves and the other dropping out just before their match in Ecruteak Ctiy when he got news that his wife in Azalea Town was having a baby. To tell Laura all this, when she hadn't even trusted Ash and Brock enough to...she just couldn't do it. Especially not to Ash, who was her biggest supporter, always in the stands cheering the loudest for her, and comforting her when she had lost here in Sinnoh. Sapphire eyes closed tight, hidden by a veil of her hair. She couldn't reveal that she hadn't trusted him.

Cerbera whined pawing slightly at Laura and causing May to look up. Ash was recalling his pokemon, and Laura glanced at her watch and appeared to swear under her breath. "All right, girl, I'm sorry...I know we're usually asleep long before this." she said with a sigh, laying a hand heavily on Cerbera's head. "Well, come on then. I believe you lot came here for a place to sleep, right? Just because I'm not getting any doesn't mean you shouldn't. Now, bed."

May let out the breath she had unconsciously been holding, relieved that she didn't have to say anything, and fell into step behind Laura, with Ash and Brock flanking her.

"Hey May, we'll battle tomorrow, all right?" Ash asked, grinning.

May nodded. "Sure."

"Don't know when you'll find the time." Luara commented. "You two are gonna be helping me out around this place in the morning, and running this place is a 24-hour job." Cerbera barked in agreement as they entered the house, then barked happily again, bounding over to the group of three Pikachu playing in the middle of the room to join them.

Ash's Pikachu, seeing him, perked his ears and stood. "Chu ka, ka pi pi pi!" he explained to the other two before jumping up into Ash's arms and causing his trainer to laugh. One of the other Pikachu, Rai, didn't throw them more than a second glance before he and Cerbera began to converse amongst themselves. The third Pikachu, however, smiled and also ran over to Ash, though he tripped and rolled head over heels in the process, coming to rest at the trainer's feet. This new Pikachu was significantly smaller than Rai, and he also appeared to be younger, with no tatters on his ears or tail.

"Who's this?" Brock asked, kneeling down and offering his palm to the new Pikachu.

"Hm? Oh, that's Buster." Laura said. "He's the resident goofball, but an excellent battler. He's reached a level of strength and control to rival that even of Rai, who's many years his senior."

"Wow, really?" Ash asked, also kneeling to introduce himself. "You know, Piakchu and I would love to battle one of your Pikachu, Ms. Cooper! Would that be all right?"

Laura shrugged. "All right then. Let's see how tomorrow goes, and after all the work, we'll see if there's time for us to battle. You and May can have your _contest_ battle too."

May didn't miss the bitterness in Laura's voice at the word 'contest.' "You don't like contests, Ms. Cooper?"

Laura snorted, turning her back on them to gather Rai up in her arms. "In my opinion, Coordinators aren't _real_ trainers. They're just people who can't train pokemon, but still want to make themselves feel important with them. As for contests themselves..." She gave another small snort. "Worthless displays of cheap entertainment for the ignorant, drooling masses."

May stood stunned. As important as contests were to her, it was inconceivable that anyone else could feel that way about them! And...even if coordinators weren't real trainers...what did that say about her? "How...how can you...?"

"Let me ask you something, May." Laura said cooly, turning around to fix her hard emerald eyes on May's and hold her in place. "If you were in danger -- I mean, real, true, life-threatening danger -- would your pokemon be able to protect you if all they knew were moves designed to look pretty? Would they be able to overpower the danger and save you? Or would they merely make the danger go away by falling on it's back laughing at their incompetence?"'

"I...I..."

"I'll tell you the answer now. They couldn't." Cerbera growled slightly, obviously in agreement with her mistress.

May was on the verge of tears, her vision swimming and hands shaking. Barely aware of anything else, she ran for a door she could see that led out behind the house from the kitchen, sobbing. She ran on and on, stumbling over rocks she couldn't see amid the tall, waving grass, and nearly ran straight into a deep lake, stumbling back just in time. Her sobbing had stopped, but only because she was out of breath, and it soon resumed as she curled up at the base of a giant tree. She didn't notice the eyes of pokemon, both in the water and in the tree, that stared curiously out at this strange new human who had disturbed their rest, and wouldn't have cared if she did. All she saw were her gloved hands, which she had buried her face into, and the sneer on Laura's face as she tore down everything that had been important in May's world.

**Betcha' didn't see that one coming! Or...maybe I'm just fooling myself and you saw it coming a mile off. I don't know. Reviews make excellent Christmas presents! ^_^**


	6. Chapter 6

**Since the chapter before was so short (I hadn't realized just **_**how**_** short before), and since it's already gotten some pretty passionate reviews, you get a double update! Aren't I nice? It must be this holiday season getting to me...either that, or all this rain that's been pouring down over here. Anyways, shippy elements start here, for all those who have been waiting for them!**

**Oh, and I'd meant to mention it before the last chapter, but there's been some unforeseen problems concerning my other story, ****The Dragon Clan****. As it's a Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfic, I don't know how many of you reading this have looked at it, but all details can be found on my bio.**

**DISCLAIMER: Me no own...waah!**

**A Passion Revived: chapter 6**

The whole world seemed to be tinted red. Hands shook, muscles tensed, and fists clenched. Pikachu's ears went flat back against his head as he shifted into an offensive posture, cheeks sparking slightly and letting out a low, angry-sounding "Chuuuuu....!"

Ash Ketchum was absolutely livid.

"What was that for?!" he screamed, advancing a step towards Laura. Cerbera harshly growled in response, also assuming a braced, protective position in front of her mistress. "You have no right to say that! You don't know how hard May's worked, or what she's going through -- !"

Brock laid a firm hand on Ash's shoulder, holding him back. "Easy, Ash." he said, voice tense -- it was plain that he was furious, too. "We aren't here to fight."

"Damn right you're not." Laura growled, glowering down at Ash. "And I will remind you whose house you happen to be in right now, whose property you trespassed on, and on which you are being allowed to stay. _You_ have no place telling me what I can and can not do in my own home, Mr. Ketchum."

"Be that as it may, Ms. Cooper," Brock replied before Ash could blow up once again, "May is our friend. Ash and I will not stand to see her insulted like that, no matter who does it, or where."

"That's right!"

"Pi_ka_!"

Laura sighed, and it seemed to Ash that she suddenly looked much older -- certainly much more worn, as if she were weary of the world and all it's problems. She slumped, placing an arm on the counter which divided the kitchen and the living room for support, and dropped her head. "Go to her, then, if she's so important to you." she sighed again, raising her head to look directly at Ash. "Go get her, and bring her back. I'll show Brock where your rooms are, and I expect the two of you up bright and early; you'll be helping me out with the daily chores around this place."

Ash was stunned at this sudden change of behavior -- where had all that fight and anger gone? -- but he only paused a moment before rushing for the door May had bolted out of, scrambling out it and letting it bang once more on the side of the house before racing off into the grass, Pikachu hot at his heels.

--------------------

May didn't know how much time had passed. All she knew was that she didn't seem to have any tears left. Her eyes felt empty, drained -- just like her spirit.

Rustling in the grass somewhere behind her didn't even faze her. It was probably just a pokemon, and she doubted it was going to attack her. She wouldn't have even cared if it did.

"May? Maaay!"

The calls were faint, but getting closer. May still didn't move. She just curled up into a slightly tighter ball and continued staring out over the lake, reflecting the moon so perfectly in it's still surface.

The rustling suddenly stopped, and she was vaguely aware of a presence behind her. A gentle hand laid itself on her shoulder, and an all-too-familiar voice spoke softly. "May?"

The coordinator flinched. "Go away, Ash." She didn't mean it.

Ash squatted down next to her, resting on the balls of his feet. His tone was as concerned as his expression; deep worry lines crinkled the corners of his honey brown eyes. "May..."

"I said _go away,_ Ash." May repeated, not daring to look at him.

"Come on, May...Laura doesn't know what she's talking about." Ash said obstinately, attempting a small smile. "You're just as good a trainer as me or Brock, and a great Coordinator -- "

"No, Ash, I'm not!" May burst out, ducking her head back into her knees. "I...I completely sucked in the Johto circuit, okay? I only won two ribbons...and both of those were honest-to-god flukes. My opponents either got kicked out or dropped out...I didn't really _earn_ them. And now, I'm doing so badly in Sinnoh..."

Ash paused, stunned, then sank down onto his knees. "May...I -- "

A burst of water suddenly struck the tree they were sitting under, nearly dousing the humans, who both cried out in surprise, and succeeding in dislodging more than a few sleeping pokemon -- mostly Pidgey, Pidgeotto, Starly, and Spearow, though a couple Pidgeot and Fearow, along with a Staraptor and Swellow -- and thoroughly soaking them. Ash instinctively crouched protectively over May, reaching for his belt -- Pikachu had wandered off somewhere.

An irritated-looking Dewgong had it's head poked out of the water, tail raised, as if threatening to splash them again, and Ash sighed in relief. They weren't being attacked...

"Um...A-Ash?"

Ash glanced down at May, who he had sheltered between him and the tree. Blue and brown stared into each other for a moment, silent, before something sparked in the honeyed brown. _"Oh!"_ Ash cried, throwing himself back from the rather...compromising position he had been in. His face nearly glowed red with embarrassment as he placed a hand over his mouth, the other pulling his hat down over his face in an attempt to hide it. "S-sorry about that..." he stammered, standing and offering a hand awkwardly to May, who grasped it and allowed Ash to pull her to her feet.

"N-no worries." May replied, her face as red as Ash's. Again, she didn't seem able to meet his gaze, and glanced back at the lake, where the disturbed birds (along with a few assorted Bug pokemon) were attempting to heckle the Dewgong, who raised it's tail in their direction again. "W-we'd better get back."

"Y-yeah..." Ash replied, releasing her and turning back in the direction of the house. May followed him silently, incoherent thoughts swirling around in her previously empty head. She only got back in touch with reality when Pikachu showed up again, having apparently decided to go back and stay with Brock. He rubbed himself affectionately against Ash's legs before jumping up to his usual place on his trainer's shoulder. Ash gave a small grin, patting Pikachu's head before heading back into the house. May hesitated only a moment before following him back into the lion's den.

**My chapters seem to be getting shorter and shorter...still, short chapters can be effective if managed wisely! And reviews will inspire me to make them longer - now, isn't that incentive enough for you to review?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 has arrived! w00t! ^_^ Hope everyone had a happy and safe holiday, and is ready to ring in 2009! I'm glad you all liked my attempts at shipping, but for now, you get a chapter in which May snoops and info about Laura's shady past finally starts to reveal itself. Aren't you excited? I bet you are. XD so, without further ado, enjoy!**

**"A Passion Revived": chapter 7**

"May...May, get up."

The Coordinator groaned, forcing her eyes open. She didn't even remember falling asleep. The last thing she remembered was coming up to a room last night, after Ash comforted her, and seeing the bed...

"Come on, May, get up."

May huffed, making a face as she heaved herself into a sitting position. " 'm up, 'm up..." she grumbled, yawning. "What time is it?"

"6:00 am." Ash replied, in the same grouchy tone that all people had when they were woken well before they were ready. "According to Laura, that's considered 'sleeping in' here. She wants us to help her out around the ranch today, while Brock cares for her Tauros. Her phrase this morning was 'make yourselves useful.'"

"Whaaa?" May groaned, her brain beginning to wake up a little more. "Aw, man..."

"Hey, at least she left breakfast for us." Ash replied, shrugging his shoulders and yawning again in reply. " 's down in the kitchen when we're ready."

May sighed in response. "Lemme get changed, then." she muttered, making a shooing motion towards Ash, who blushed slightly and turned away.

The door shut with a small click, and May flopped down onto her back. She stared at the ceiling for a moment, trying to wake herself up, then grumbled again and swung her legs out over the side of the bed. Her clothes were already laid out on the end of the bed, and it didn't take long before May was fully dressed.

This room, like many others in this house seemed to be, was sparsely furnished. There was the bed, shoved up into a corner on the wall opposite the door. Beside the bed was a dresser, a handsome piece of furniture with an elegant dark stain. Other than some small pictures on the dresser, there was only another rug on the floor, a plain beige color.

One of the pictures caught May's eye as she leaned over to wrap her bandanna around her head and she paused, looking closer. It was a lawn, not unlike the grassy areas around the house. Two people were standing on either end of the frame: a boy on one end, with a Jolteon and a Grotle. Someone else was on the other end, with a Houndour and Larvitar. May narrowed her eyes, taking a closer look, then widened them in shock.

The other girl was Laura.

She looked a lot younger, perhaps fourteen or so, but there was no mistaking her. But her expression was vastly different than the seemingly constant scowl she wore now -- it was a smirk, confident but not cocky. She was enjoying the battle. But there was something else, too...

_'This looks a lot like my and Ash's battle last night.'_ she realized, taking another look at her opponent. _'But who's he?'_

A couple knocks pounded on her door. "May?" Ash called faintly through it. "You ready?"

"Almost!" May called back, startled back into reality. Quickly, she tied her bandana around her head, leaving only two strands on either side of her face loose, and slipped her shoes on. Her pack was over on the other side of the room, under the window. As she stooped to get it, she caught a glimpse of figures moving down on the grass.

Laura was there, along with several Fighting-type pokemon in a line. The sun was just rising over the trees, casting an almost lilac glow across the grass. As one, all in the line punched, then kicked, then punched again with the other hand before finishing with a roundhouse kick with their other foot. A Lucario was on her left, and a Medicham was on her right. The training continued and May slowly turned away. This morning had given her a lot to think about, and it had barely started.

--------------------

By the time May got downstairs and had eaten, Ash was already outside, watching Laura train with an intrigued, excited look on his face. He and Pikachu even attempted to join in, though Ash always managed to almost fall on his face any time he attempted a kick. When May went out to join them, the workout session seemed to be ending; after a flurry of punches, kicks, feints, blocks, and dodges, Laura and all her pokemon froze in place as one. Then they relaxed their poses, and the pokemon started to disperse.

"Good, you're awake." Laura stated, grabbing a towel she had lain nearby and wiping it over her face. The hostility from last night was gone, replaced yet again by the seeming lack of emotion at all. "I took a look at your Glameow last night -- he's a temperamental little bugger." she added with a small chuckle.

"_He?_" May questioned. "I though Glameow was a girl."

Laura gave a small sigh. "No, May, your Glameow is definitely a male. That's why he's been giving you so much trouble -- simple testosterone. He's used to being dominant." she continued, placing a hand on her bicep and flexing, loosening the muscles. "He needs to learn that you're the trainer, and as such, the leader, who he needs to submit to."

"That seems rather harsh." Ash piped up, wiping down Pikachu with the towel Laura had tossed aside. "I've had pokemon that don't listen to me, and I've never had to work it out like that. I just earned their trust."

Cerbera trotted over to Laura's side just then, and Laura rested a hand on her Houdoom's neck, scratching it lightly. "That's certainly one way to go about it, yes, and the way I prefer. However, there are times when that is simply not viable." She then turned her eyes to Ash. "Think of it as if you're a pokemon yourself -- a dominant member of their pack or herd or what have you. Not all pokemon take kindly to being captured, and may not respond well to being ordered about by a human. You need to put it in terms that they'll understand -- you are the dominant pokemon. Trust will come, in time; every leader must prove themselves, after all, or they will not be leaders for very long."

May winced slightly. It seemed to her that Laura had directed that last sentence at her, dragging up her statements from the previous night. _'She still hates me,'_ May realized _'why would she still hate me?'_

"Now, you two are going to work." Laura continued, seemingly ignoring May's actions. "You will help me feed and manage my pokemon, as well as assist with general chores. However, first," she paused, looking down at them both, "you will help me with some Spring Cleaning in my house."

Ash groaned, and May wasn't feeling too pleased, either. _'What are we, a cleaning service?'_

"Oh, don't give me those looks. With the two of you working, you'll be done in no time at all. All this place really needs is a good dusting, and a good dusting is all I'm going to ask you to give it. Ash, you take the basement and first story; May, you do the second story and the attic. Supplies are in the hall closet, and send your Pikachu out to find me when you're done. Got it?"

--------------------

May heaved a sigh as she exited the house a few hours later, flopping down beside Ash with a tired groan. "Pikachu gone already?"

"Yeah." Ash replied, sounding just as tired. "This house is _insanely_ large. How does she live here all by herself?"

May shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. But I did find some pretty interesting things in her attic."

Ash rose to a sitting position, interest piqued. "Yeah? Like what?"

"Old pictures." May replied, her voice suddenly going soft. "There was one in my room this morning, too. I brought that one down to show you, and another I found." she added, producing the frames.

Ash looked excitedly at the pictures; the one from May's room he merely glanced over, and he focused on the other one. It was the same person from the picture of the battle, a little younger-looking now, dressed in a pair of baggy pants with rolled up cuffs and socks. He held a Pokeball in one hand, and a Jolteon -- apparently the same one from the battle -- lay at his feet, looking up at him. He was in mid-turn, apparently surprised the the Haunter who's hand rested on his other arm. A Meowth sunned lazily in the window, and a little girl stood in it, smiling with her hand in a too-long sleeve resting on the Meowth. But clearly recognizable was the hallway around them: it was the entrance hallway to Laura's house. The scenery outside was a little harder to place -- rolling hills and a tidy path leading out through a white wooden arch -- but the underlying features were exactly like the ones in front of the house, where they had first approached it. "Woah..."

May nodded. "The one from my room looks a lot like the battle we were having last night. I think we reminded her of this guy with the Jolteon, whomever he is, and from the way she reacted, that's probably not a good thing."

"You should take those back, May, before Laura shows up here." Ash cautioned.

May nodded. "Yeah...I just wanted to show them to you. I'll be right back."

Ash leaned back on his hands, letting his head fall back and the early sun warm his face. Today was going to be hot, he could already tell. He would have appreciated more sleep, but he had to admit that it felt nice, having accomplished something on this scale by nine AM. And then there were battles to be had later on, he remembered with a smile. He couldn't wait to go toe-to-toe with Laura's Pikachu!

"Pika!"

"Oof!"

May laughed from somewhere behind him as his own Pikachu sprung onto him, landing squarely on his stomach. She had returned at the same time he had, and Pikachu had also brought Laura and Cerbera with him. Even Laura was chucking.

"Well now, see? That wasn't so bad, was it?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips. "Brock's already in this barn, caring for my Tauros, but there's another one further down by the lake with pokemon in it that need their breakfast, and we're going to give it to them. Follow me."

"Ms. Cooper?" Ash asked. "What about our battle?"

"This evening, Ash." Laura replied. "Things are getting done much faster than usual, today, thanks to you two helping. We'll have plenty of time then."

**Short chapters, short chapters, I'm sorry about short chapters...but hey, this was originally 2 chapters, so I was nice and combined them just for you. Your thanks can be expressed adequately by clicking the 'Review' button :)**


	8. Chapter 8

_**Gryphon Turboclaw: Yeah, there's continuity issues with May's ribbons. Fact is, this was written before the episode where she came and competed in the Wallace cup aired. And at this point, trying to change things to fit the show would only make it more complicated - her failures wouldn't hit her so hard if she had 3 ribbons and only lost the other two to people she'd beaten before, but was just having trouble with now. In other words, it works better for the circumstances in this story if she only had two and won them through flukes against random people. I do my best to keep the characters as much in-character as I can, and to preserve the anime's storyline, but the fact remains that for the purposes of this story and it's plot, deviance from that storyline simply works better. Please don't be offended -- I'd hate to lose you as a reader.**_

**It's time to b-b-b-b-battle! ^_^ Yeah, that's right - the long awaited AshXLaura battle has arrived! Who's Pikachu will come out on top? Mano a mano...erm...Pika a Pika, I suppose. Anyway, you'll just have to read and find out! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer:**** Nope, still don't own it.**

**"A Passion Revived": chapter 8**

A sigh escaped May's lips as she lay back, stretching out on the surprisingly soft grass. _'There are so many pokemon here!'_ she marveled, remembering all of the pokemon she'd seen that day. _She doesn't seem to have very many from Hoenn, though...at least, pokemon from Hoenn that you can't also easily find in Sinnoh. I wonder why that is...'_ It was sunset again, and all the brilliant colors from the night before that she remembered were once again washed over the landscape. Ash sat beside her, Pikachu on his lap, as they waited for Laura to emerge from the barn where Brock had been all day.

May watched lazily as Laura's Houndoom, in a rare moment away from her mistress' side, was also resting in the grass. A Mightyena came up to her, cautiously, and began sniffing her over. The Houndoom grumbled, raising her head to look back at the other canine-like Dark-type, who bent his head and took a step or so back. But it wasn't long before he stepped towards her again, his tail raised and wagging slightly and he bent to sniff her again. Cerbera growled softly this time and got up heavily, walking away. The Mightyena's tail drooped, and he looked after her with a whine.

_'He's courting her.'_ May realized, then gave a sad sort of smile. _'But it seems that her Houndoom is just as stubborn as her trainer.'_

At that moment, Laura and Brock emerged from the barn, discussing something -- probably her Tauros. "...will be just fine, Ms. Cooper. He's already looking much better than he was yesterday."

Laura nodded. "Thank you, Brock. You've been a great help."

"My pleasure, Ms. Cooper."

"Hey Brock!" Ash called out, waving as Pikachu also looked up. "Haven't seen you all day!"

The former Gym Leader laughed. "Hey, when a pokemon's in need, I can't say no." he explained, sitting with him. May also sat up, stretching her arms once again.

"Hey Laura, what about that battle? Pikachu and I are ready to go!" Ash questioned, emphasized by a spirited "Pika_chu!_" from his companion.

Laura thought for a moment. "I did promise you one, didn't I?" she finally said with a small smile. "And Rai and Buster are nearby. Why not?"

Ash leapt to his feet, a jubilant smile on his face. "Yeah, all right! Pikachu, you ready?"

"_Pi_, Pikachu!"

As if on cue, both of Laura's Pikachu appeared on either side of her. "Do you mind terribly facing Buster instead of Rai?" she asked, picking the older Pikachu up gently. "He's earned his retirement, so to speak, and Buster's just as strong as he is."

"Fine by me!"

Brock also rose. "I'll referee the match."

Laura nodded as she and Ash took their positions. "Thank you, Brock."

May stayed where she was, making sure she was a fair distance away from the action. Brock raised his hand, then dropped it to begin the battle.

"Pikachu, Iron Tail!"

Laura smirked. "You certainly don't waste any time, Ash. Buster, wait for it..."

"Pi!"

_'What the...she's just going to let it get hit?'_

"Grab it, Buster!"

Buster leapt in the air just before Pikachu's glowing tail slammed into him, and grabbed Pikachu's tail. With an agile flip, he summersaulted over Pikachu's head, bringing Pikachu around with him and slamming him onto the ground.

"Grass Knot!"

"Oh no you don't!" Pikachu, use Quick Attack to get out of there and then go into Volt Tackle!"

Buster jumped back, his eyes glowing green. Shoots of grass shot up around Pikachu, who barely escaped their snares in time. Pikachu charged for Buster, his form slowly becoming encased in electricity until only a vague silhouette was discernible amid it all.

"Thunder Wave!"

"Huh?"

Buster braced itself, a triumphant smirk on it's face, and sent out a light zap towards Pikachu. The charges formed rings around Pikachu, who seemed just as surprised, and hovered for a moment before closing in on him. Pikachu cried out, and, incredibly, began to slow down. The electricity around it's body faded, and he seemed to struggle to take a step, the paralysis sparking erratically around him before finally, he collapsed at Buster's feet.

Ash stood, dumbstruck. _'Thunder Wave is an electric-type move! The energy from Pikachu's Volt Tackle should have absorbed it, and made the volt tackle stronger! But it didn't...'_ Frustrated, he shook his head. "We're not done yet -- we don't need to move to win! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Buster, Grass Knot!"

Once again, Buster's eyes glowed and tendrils of grass began sprouting around Pikachu, who was rapidly trying to charge up his Thunderbolt. But it was too little, too late -- this time, the grass got him, completely cocooning Pikachu.

"Pikachu!"

"The match is over, Ash." Laura said calmly.

Ash growled -- if there was one thing that he hated, it was people telling him that he was going to lose. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt again!"

The cocoon that was Pikachu twitched, then began to rock violently. The grass' edges smoldered and singed for a moment before Pikachu suddenly burst out from it's prison, it's paralysis gone, but looking tired.

Laura smirked. "I give you points for guts, Ash, but the match is still over. Buster, use Swift!"

"It's not over so long as Pikachu and I can still battle!" Ash called back. "Pikachu, Quick Attack!"

Buster reached back and tore some bits of it's fur out before launching them at Pikachu, the slightly damp clumps of hair becoming the familiar star-shaped rays of a Swift attack. The stars smashed into Pikachu head-on, and kept coming. Valiantly, Pikachu tried to continue charging through the attack, but to no avail. He slumped over, and Brock raised a hand.

"Ash's Pikachu is unable to battle. Laura and Buster are the winners!"

May sat in shock, sapphire eyes wide. _'No way...as good as Ash is, he still couldn't even land an attack...'_ her eyes turned to Laura, who was kneeling down and congratulating her Pikachu along with Rai. _'Who _is_ this person?'_

"That was a good match, Ash." Laura said as she rose to her feet. "You and your Pikachu work really well together."

"Huh?" Ash questioned, scooping up a battered Pikachu in his arms and cradling him. "But we didn't even manage to land a single attack!"

"That doesn't mean you two don't have a great synergy with each other." Laura replied, fishing a Max Potion out of the shoulder bag she had carried around with her all day and handing it to Ash. "It's obvious you two battle really well together, and that you have the makings of a top-notch trainer."

"Which is why I'd like you to teach me."

Everyone paused, and every set of eyes turned to May. She was now standing, and gazing firmly at Laura, who tilted her head. "Pardon?"

"You said last night that Coordinators were people who failed as trainers." May said, locking her eyes with Laura's. Her voice wavered, but she clenched a fist, determined. "So I want you to teach me how to be a better trainer."

"May, what -- ?"

Brock held a hand in front of Ash and looked down at him. "If this is what she wants...we shouldn't stop her."

Ash's shoulders drooped, and his face fell as he turned back to Laura and May. "But...why couldn't she have asked me...?"

Laura looked down at May, scrutinizing her with a highly critical eye. "It'll be hard. I'll work your ass so hard you'll barely be able to sit. It'll be tiring, grueling, and for a while, unrewarding. Are you sure?"

May swallowed, a little nervously, then met Laura's eyes again and nodded. "I-I'm sure."

"Well, then, I'd be happy to." Laura replied, holding out her hand. May took it in a firm shake, and nodded again. "Meet me out here tomorrow morning with all the pokemon you're carrying with you."

May nodded. _'Great. I've just signed my own death warrant.'_

**The review button makes a really cool noise...it goes 'click'! ^_^ it's one of my favorite sounds. That, and the clacking of keys typing out a review. Won't you make a humble authoress happy, please?**

**(And before I get any nasty reviews about it, yes, actually, that IS how Pikachu are shown to use the move Swift in the manga. I was just as surprised as you are, trust me.)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Whoo! Chapter 9 is finally here! ^_^ sorry this took so long to update; this was the first chapter of this story that hadn't been previously written. I took into account people's comments about the general shortness of chapters and tried to fix it, but I've also been swamped recently with my classes for the winter quarter starting up this past week. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

**A Passion Revived: chapter 9**

A soft knock sounded at Ash's door.

"Pi...?"

Ash turned slightly towards the door. " 's open." he called out glumly.

The door opened slowly, and Brock slowly came in. "Hey. What's wrong?"

"What makes you think anything is wrong?" Ash grumbled, turning his back to the older breeder.

"Come on, Ash, I've traveled with you since you were a rookie. I know you too well for you to pull that sort of attitude." Brock reasoned, closing the door and crossing his arms. "You were really upset after your battle with Laura, and I want to know why."

"If you're so smart, why don't you tell me?" Ash growled, not turning around.

Brock sighed. "I have my suspicions, but I want to hear your reasoning."

The younger trainer sighed in return. "She completely swept me. Pikachu and I couldn't even land a hit. I don't get it -- how could that happen?"

Brock frowned. "While it is strange, losing hasn't bothered you this much in a long time. Are you sure that's it?"

Silence. "Why...didn't she ask me?" Ash finally asked, voice soft. "If she thought that...if she really, honestly thought that, and wanted to become a better trainer that way..._why_ didn't she just ask me?"

'_Ahh...now this is starting to make sense.'_ Brock thought. "Well...I don't know, to be honest. But I have a suggestion, if you're so worried about your training. Why don't you go down tomorrow morning and see for yourself what will be going on?"

"You...you think I need to?"

"Not unless you think you need it." Brock replied. "The choice is up to you. Ms. Cooper's Tauros should be back on it's feet within the next few days, so even if you don't, you shouldn't be missing too much. I'll let you decide for yourself." With that, the breeder left the room.

Ash sighed again as the door clicked shut. Pikachu climbed up into his depressed trainer's lap, looking worriedly up at him. "Piii, ka?" His only response was Ash placing a hand on his head, scratching him slightly behind the ears and staring off with cloudy eyes at something that Pikachu couldn't see.

--------------------

The sun's familiar morning glow washed over the landscape, but May didn't appear to notice. What she _did_ notice was something that surprised her a lot more. "Ash? What are you doing out here?"

Ash reached up, sheepishly placing a hand behind his head. "Um...just...wanted to see what you guys would be doing."

"No. You wanted to find out why you lost yesterday." a voice stated, in a slightly amused tone. The two younger trainers turned, watching Laura come out from the barn where Brock was tending to her Tauros. "Glad to see you two are on time. Let's not waste any time, then; show me your pokemon."

May nodded, taking six pokeballs out of her waist pack and tossing them in front of her. In a brilliant flash, her pokemon appeared on the grass. Glameow, once again, immediately tried to scratch May, but this time it was held back by her Blaziken, and struggled in vain against the feathered arms of the Hoenn region's fire-type starter. Her Venusaur, Wartortle, Glaceon, and Beautifly watched on -- it was clear that the new addition to the team was severely trying their patience.

Laura's cool gaze turned to Ash. "Ash? Are you going to merely observe?"

"Erm...no, Ms. Cooper." Ash mumbled, releasing his own pokemon. Pikachu jumped down to stand beside the emerging forms of his pokemon, landing next to the recently-evolved Monferno. Grotle, Sceptile, Buizel, and Gliscor completed the lineup.

Laura's critical eye scanned the two groups of pokemon, and a hand reached up to cradle her chin as she walked back and forth slightly, to get a better look at them all. May began to shift her weight nervously -- how long was it going to be before she said anything? However, finally, Laura stepped back and took something out of her own pouch. "All right -- that tells me a lot. Now, in my defense, the battle with Ash was the first I've had in a long time, but to be fair, let me show you the pokemon I battled with. There's Cerbera, of course," she began as her loyal pokemon stepped forward, "and then there's Zen, Riku, Ria, Mango, and Reggie." With each name she called out, a pokemon emerged: first a Medicham, then a Torterra, Lucario, Jolteon, and finally, a Floatzel.

"A person's team can reveal a lot about the trainer's individual battling style." Laura continued, turning to Ash. "Ash, you value speed, and being able to get in the first attack -- Turtwig are actually quite speedy, if you recall. However, your attacks lack subtlety; they are predictable, once the battle starts, and therefore easily countered." She turned to May and continued, "May, your team, on the other hand, seems to be based largely around type coverage. Were you to be in a regular battle, the typing of your pokemon lends itself to a wide variety of moves. For contests, you still have that array of moves to compete with, which gives you an edge in the battle rounds. However, it also shows that your style is the opposite of Ash's -- reactive instead of proactive. Your opponent's actions dictate your own. This can be a very big handicap, as it also falls into the trap of predictability."

May's eyes widened. She'd never thought of it that way before, but somehow, every word made sense. "I...I never realized that my team revealed so much about me."

"Not many people do." Laura replied, gesturing to her own pokemon. "Now, _this_ team is, in a nutshell, based on the saying 'the best defense is a good offense.' Many of these pokemon are extremely offensively-based. The harder I can hit my opponent, and make _them_ focus on defense, the less _I_ need to focus on it. I can hit a wide range of pokemon for a great deal of damage. But then, as with all teams, there is a fatal weak point: as a tradeoff for offensive prowess, many of my own pokemon are defensively very weak. If I come up against a team that relies heavily upon status -- poisoning, burning, paralyzing, etcetera -- or changes to the field with weather or moves that deter me from sending in my pokemon, like Stealth Rock, I am hard-pressed to keep my pokemon in the battle long enough for them to do the amount of damage they are capable of. Even Riku, the most defensive of my pokemon on this team, has major issues when my opponents start flinging ice attacks around -- particularly ones like Ice Beam, which are special attacks. He can handle physical attacks fairly well, even some ice-type ones, but he has a lot more problems with special attacks."

"But Ms. Cooper," Ash interrupted, "there's so many pokemon living here with you. These six can't be the only ones you've ever battled with."

Laura threw a sharp glare at the boy, making him cringe slightly. "Yes, I have captured all of the pokemon that are on this property at one time or another." she explained icily before turning back to May. "The Tag Battle competition in Hearthome is in exactly one week. That will be your 'exam,' so to speak."

May nodded firmly. "I won't disappoint you, Ms. Cooper."

Laura waved a hand. "I appreciate the respect, but just 'Laura' will be fine. That goes for you too, Ash - and Brock as well."

Ash nodded, less sure than May had been. _'So...she doesn't _like_ the fact that she's caught all these pokemon or something?'_ "Hey, er, Laura...there's one thing I don't understand. Well...two, actually."

Once again, Laura's cool gaze rested upon him. "Yes, Ash?"

"Well, you said your team is very offensively based -- but you said the same of mine, and that it was predictable. Isn't that the same problem with yours?"

"A valid question." Laura agreed, nodding. "The difference isn't so much in style as in the pokemon themselves. While your team, like this one, is very offensively-based, the pokemon themselves really cannot learn a wide variety of techniques. Your Pikachu knows mainly electric techniques, Buizel learns mainly water and normal techniques, Grotle and Sceptile learn mainly grass techniques...there's not much variety. However, my Medicham, Zen," she continued, bringing her pokemon forward, "can learn many _different_ types of moves -- true, it's main set is mainly made of of psychic and fighting techniques, but there are many other options to teach it different techniques, and thereby catch my opponent off-guard." Her gaze turned back to Ash, who merely blinked in an effort to take it all in. "Your second question?"

"Er...yesterday, when Pikachu used Volt Tackle. You had Buster use Thunder Wave -- but that's an Electric-type move. Why didn't Pikachu's Volt Tackle absorb that electricity?"

A small smirk twitched up the corner of Laura's mouth, and she uncrossed her arms. "Well, there's actually a pretty simple explanation for it -- I think it's best if you see for yourself. Have your Pikachu use Volt Tackle on...hm...Riku, here." she said, gesturing to her Torterra. "He's a ground type, so it won't affect him. You up for a demonstration, Riku?" she asked of her pokemon, laying a hand on his head.

"Tor!" the large pokemon replied with a powerful tone, stepping forward and facing the much smaller form of Pikachu.

Ash raised his eyebrows. "Er...okay then. Pikachu, use Volt Tackle on Laura's Torterra!"

"Pi?" Pikachu looked back at Ash, then almost seemed to shrug and turned back to his opponent. After a moment, he launched himself straight into a Volt Tackle, just as powerful as the one he'd launched the day before. Sparks streaked magnificently out behind him like the tail of a comet as he charged, then leapt headfirst and collided solidly with his Torterra target. They scattered everywhere from the point of impact, giving the impression of a fireworks display. Riku grunted with the force of the impact, but shook his head slightly and was otherwise unharmed.

"Yeah! Nice one, Pikachu!" Ash cried out, throwing his fist up into the air.

Laura nodded. "An impressive display, to be sure." she stated. "Buster, use Thunder Wave on Riku."

"Chu!" the smaller Pikachu agreed enthusiastically, causing both Ash and May to jump - they hadn't realized he was even around. As it was the day before, Buster's attack was no more than a light spark. The contact with Riku was light, and the circular form dissipated upon contact with a single branch of the tree which grew on it's back. Indeed, it almost looked like the tortioise-like pokemon hadn't even felt the attack.

Laura turned back to Ash, a neutral expression on her face. "You see the difference between the two attacks, don't you?" she asked, stepping forward slightly. The grass under her feet crunched softly, charred by the stream of electricity Ash's Pikachu had left in his wake. She knelt, motioning for the younger trainers to come down to her level, then pointed at the grass. "While visually impressive, and a powerful move, the electricity given off by Volt Tackle is essentially wasted until the pokemon makes contact with it's opponent. It is directionless, and the pokemon must constantly generate more electricity as it is running, or else it will all be lost. That's why it causes the 'backlash' damage; all that energy constantly creating electricity cannot be stopped in a moment's notice, and the sudden stop to the flow of electricity damages the internal structure. Thunder Wave, on the other hand, is a light, precise jolt to the opponent's nervous system, which paralyzes them." She stood, dusting off her hands slightly, and continued. "Obviously, these are two very different paths. However, electricity, by it's very nature, will follow the path of least resistance, and therefore go where even the smallest portion of it is directed. _That_ is why your Pikachu's Volt Tackle was not strengthened by Buster's Thunder Wave; the wasted electricity from Volt Tackle met the directed electricity of the Thunder Wave, and followed it."

Ash seemed dumbfounded, and May was equally surprised. However, it wasn't Ash's reaction that caused her disbelief -- it was how knowledgeable Laura really was about pokemon and how their moves worked. _'This is the kind of thing a researcher or high-level trainer would know -- most people don't bother to figure out how or, more importantly, _why_ moves work the way they do. I suppose being around so many pokemon like she has here has helped a bit, but she still would have had to be around pokemon for a _very_ long time.'_ Swallowing slightly, she looked up at Laura and voiced the question now stirring in her mind. "Are you a formal trainer, Laura?"

"No." Laura replied after a short pause, with only a hint of the coldness she had focused at Ash. "I simply spend a lot of time around pokemon. One observes these things."

'_That doesn't account for your battling skill, or those pictures I found.'_ May thought, but bit the question back. It wouldn't do to make her new mentor angry with her. She _would_ prove that she was not a failure as a trainer -- to herself as much as to Laura. And if that meant holding her curiosity about Laura in check...well, so be it. At least...for the time being.

"Now May," Laura continued, turning to the brunette, "I'd like to have a short battle with you, if you don't mind."

May's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "O-okay. What kind?"

"It will be like a gym battle -- three pokemon each, and only you can switch pokemon." Laura replied, walking a slight distance off and turning back to May. "Are you ready?"

May nodded, but a discontented look flickered across her face. _'She's not a formal trainer...but she knows how gym battles work? She is _definitely _keeping something from us...'_

"All right -- go, Zen!" Laura called out. Her Medicham lept between them, adopting a battle-ready stance.

May shook her head -- she had to keep her mind on the battle. _'Let's see...Medicham is psychic and fighting...so I'll use..._' "Go, Beautifly!"

"Beau, Beautifly!"

Once again, the corner of Laura's mouth twitched up in a small, barely perceptible smile. "I see you know your types, anyway. Bug is strong against psychic, and flying is strong against fighting. However...Zen, use Thunder Punch!"

"Beautifly, hit it back with Aerial Ace!" May called out.

Beautifly's wings glowed a brilliant white as it streaked towards Zen, but before the attack had a chance to fully power up, Zen raced for Beautifly, it's fist clenched and crackling with electricity. Literally before Beautifly knew what had hit it, Zen's sparking fist slammed upward into it, sending it flying up into the air.

"Ah, Beautifly!" May cried out, face contorting with worry as Beautifly spiraled down, no longer able to control it's flight. It landed with a soft 'thump' on the grass in front of May -- obviously no longer able to battle. May closed her eyes, then pulled out Beautifly's pokeball. "You did your best, Beautifly -- take a nice, long rest now."

Laura nodded at her pokemon. "Good job, Zen."

"Go, Glaceon!"

"Glaaa..." Glaceon growled, bracing itself.

"Zen, use Brick Break."

"Glaceon, use Dig!"

"Gla!" Glaceon cried out, beginning to dig furiously. Zen's blinding speed very nearly caught it -- the glowing white fist of it's Brick Break barely caught the end of Glaceon's tail as it whisked down the hole out of sight. Zen stood, looking around a bit as if it wondered where it's opponent had gone.

"Now, Glaceon, use Shadow Ball from inside the hole!"

Laura smirked and chuckled softly as the dark balls of energy shot up from the hole, a couple catching Zen as he leapt away, but only lightly. "Clever," she acknowledged, "but not good enough. Zen, use Brick Break on the ground!"

"Meeee...diii...._cham!"_ Zen cried, striking the ground with it's glowing fist. There was a rumble from the shockwave, and Glaceon was blasted out of the ground, flying backwards. It landed hard, skidding slightly.

"Glaceon! Are you all right?" May cried out. Glaceon tried to stand, a determined look on it's face, but it's legs shaking badly. Before it could get up, it slumped back down -- unable to battle. "No..."

"It was a good fight, May, and it's not over yet." Laura chided softly. "You still have one more pokemon."

May's face grew hard as she recalled her Glaceon, murmuring her thanks to it. "And it's my best. Go, Blaziken!"

Laura nodded. "I thought so. Zen, use Psycho Cut."

"Blaziken, use Blaze Kick!"

The two fighting-types charged for each other -- and, for once, May's pokemon was just as fast as Zen. Zen raised his arm, which was glowing purple with psychic energy, and met Bliziken's fiery foot dead-on. Both pokemon rebounded back, and May felt confident enough for a small smile. It wasn't much, but Zen's arm looked slightly blackened. However, she realized, Blaziken didn't look too well, either. The psychic energy had reverberated through him, causing massive damage to the fighting-type.

"Zen, another Psycho Cut -- but stay back this time!" Laura called out.

'_I've got to end this quickly.'_ May thought desperately. "Blaziken, get in close and use Sky Uppercut!"

"Blay!" Blaziken cried, charging once more for it's opponent, it's massive fist claws glowing blue. Zen raised his arm, once again glowing, and quickly slashed it down; the psychic energy sliced through the air, slamming into Blaziken and throwing it back.

"No, Blaziken! Hang in there!"

"Blaa...Blaaaziken..." Blaziken answered, struggling to get to his feet. His eyes met with Zen's for a brief moment before he bowed his head and slumped over.

"Oh no!" May cried, rushing to her Blaziken's side. "Blaziken...are you all right?"

"Blaay..."

Laura nodded, appearing to be lost in thought as she came up and produced a potion for Zen. After muttering her own thanks to her pokemon, he and the rest of her team dispersed, going about their business. "Well, May, thank you. I know what we need to work on, now." she finally said, handing another few potions to May so she could heal her own pokemon. "I must admit, you battle better than I expected."

"Well, her dad _is_ the gym leader in Petalburg City." Ash defended proudly.

Laura raised an eyebrow. "Is he really? Well...that does change things slightly, doesn't it?"

"I...guess so." May replied softly, shrugging one shoulder. "But...how did you get to be so good at battling if you're not a formal trainer, Laura?"

Laura's expression flickered slightly. "I told you. I spend a lot of time around pokemon." she replied, voice slightly flat. "Now, let's talk about your battle strategy..."

'_No question. She's hiding something.'_ May thought as Laura drew closer, gathering a stick in her hand and sketching something in the dirt. _'And I'm starting to think I might know what it be. That only leaves the question...why?'_

**And so ends chapter nine. I hope you all enjoyed it, and please remember to leave a review! ^_^**


	10. Chapter 10

**Oh goodness...I am so, so, so, so, SO sorry for the ungoldly wait. Look to my profile for an attempt at an explanation. Until then...please enjoy chapter 10, and I promise the plot will start to get going here soon.**

**Disclaimer: Still not mine...**

**"A Passion Revived," chapter 10**

May took a deep, shaky breath, trying to calm herself down. It had been almost a week since she, Ash, and Brock had come to stay with Laura, and May had never trained so hard in her life. _'I'm starting to remember why I didn't want to be a trainer in the first place...'_ she thought to herself as she sat outside, near the lake she had found the first night they had come here.

There was a rustling in the grass behind her, and a familiar voice asked softly, "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all, Ash." May replied, turning and giving him a small smile. "Since when do you ask something like that, hm?"

Ash's face reddened almost imperceptibly, but May didn't notice -- she just thought it was a trick of the light. "Well, usually when you go off by yourself...er...it means you want to, uh...be...alone." he finished lamely.

May chuckled. "Oh, Ash, I just wanted to relax, that's all. Laura's been working me -- us -- really hard."

"Yeah, I know. She's so strong, though!" Ash exclaimed with an excited smile. "It's really helping me and Pikachu to get even stronger, and she's even helped Grotle a lot with it's speed issues!"

May's face fell slightly. "Oh...well, I'm glad you're doing so well."

"Huh...May?"

May gave a small sigh, turning back to look over the water. "I guess I'm just starting to have second thoughts. No matter how I try, I keep reverting to contest tactics...I think Laura's getting disappointed with me."

"But May...you're a Coordinator." Ash reasoned. "I'm not even sure why you asked Laura to do this in the first place."

May sighed again. "Ash, I told you...I failed as a Coordinator in Johto, and I'm failing as one in Sinnoh. I'm failing as a Coordinator, so maybe it is time I followed in my father's footsteps...became a trainer..."

Ash looked away sullenly, picking up a rock and flicking it over the water. It skimmed low across the surface, skipping out a good fifty yards or so before finally sinking. Ash watched it sink, eyes dark and distant. "If you wanted to be a better trainer, why didn't you just ask me?" he muttered, more than a hint of bitterness in his voice.

May looked over at the other trainer, looking slightly confused. "Ash...are you...jealous?"

"No!" Ash answered emphatically, flinging another rock into the water. This was a little more violent than the first one, skipping once before sinking below the surface. "Why would I be jealous? Just because I've known you longer, trained with you before..."

'_He _is _jealous.'_ May thought, putting on a concerned look. "Look, Ash...I didn't ask you because --"

"Because I _lost?_"

May's face fell. "Ash..."

Ash shook his head, standing. "You know what, May? Forget it."

"But Ash..."

"_Forget_ it, May!"

"Ash, if you were so upset, why didn't you tell me that in the first place?" May pressed, worried. She'd never seen Ash act like this before. "If I'd known you'd feel this way, I _would_ have asked --"

"May, you didn't even trust me enough to tell me why you were acting like this in the first place." Ash interrupted.

May sighed, lowering her head ashamedly. "I...I thought you were going to be disappointed with me." she admitted. "I felt like if I'd told you...I'd be letting you down, somehow." She brought her knees up, hugging them against her chest. "You always cheer so hard for me -- you always have. To admit to you that I'm a failure..." She shook her head slightly, closing her eyes.

Ash's face fell, all traces of his bitterness gone as he sat heavily on the ground, almost falling back onto his behind as he stared at May. "May, I..."

May shook her head again, tears glinting on her cheeks. "I can understand why you're mad, Ash, but --"

"Am I interrupting?"

May and Ash turned in unison to see Laura standing behind them, Cerbera as usual at her side. May quickly wiped her eyes. _'You were...but I don't know exactly what you were interrupting.'_ she admitted to herself. "N-no...you're not."

"Good." Laura said, crossing her arms. "I need you two to get packed up. We're leaving soon for Hearthome. The Tag Battle Tournament is in two days."

'_That's right...I forgot about the Tag Battle Tournament.'_ May thought with a sigh. _'I don't feel ready at all...I just know I'm gonna screw up again, like I always do.'_

"You're just going to leave all your pokemon here alone?" Ash questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Laura shook her head. "No. The Daycare couple in Solaceon have an assistant. If I ever need to leave for an extended period of time, they come and stay here to look after my pokemon." she explained. "I'm actually on my way to go see them now. May, please come with me."

May gave a small internal sigh. She'd learned, even after only five days, that when Laura said 'please,' she was never actually asking for something. She was just giving a polite command. She got up awkwardly, dusting off her knees and twisting around. "Is my ass wet?"

At this, Ash blushed a vivid shade of red. "Er...uh..."

"Dry as my skin in the winter." Laura answered bluntly, not missing Ash's blush. "All right, lovebirds -- one of you's got to leave the nest for a bit. May, you and I should be back well before sundown -- Solaceon's only five miles up the route. How much do you have to pack?"

"Not much." May replied. Laura nodded approvingly.

"Good. Go pack up -- there'll be no need to bring your things on the trip to Solaceon. You can get them when we come back to pick up the boys." Laura said curtly. "Meet me in the entrance hall in fifteen minutes, and we'll get going."

--------------------

"Hey, Brock?"

"Hm?"

"Was I acting...jealous?"

Brock straightened up from his packing, turning to Ash. "That's a rather random question. But yes, you were definitely acting jealous. What got you thinking about it?"

Ash sighed, throwing a shirt in his bag. "May brought it up." he replied, tossing another shirt towards his bag. It missed, settling over the curled up, sleeping form of Pikachu.

A sleepy, muffled "chuu..." emerged as Pikachu awoke, working his head out of the collar and tilting his head at Ash. "Pikapi?

"Well, with the way you've been acting, I'm not surprised." Brock continued sensibly. "I've never seen you so sullen. The only time you've acted like yourself this week was when _you_ were training with Laura, or when you were with May away from her."

"I don't get it." Ash continued, pulling his shirt off Pikachu and shoving it in his bag. "She said she didn't want to disappoint me by telling me that she only earned two ribbons in Johto; she said she thought I'd be disappointed in her, and that I was now, because she hasn't been doing so well in contests." Ash gave a small snort. "As if I ever could be disappointed in her. I just don't know why she didn't trust me."

Brock stayed silent for a few moments, continuing to pack. "I think," he finally said slowly, "that May has seen what you've done, and just wants to feel like she can do it too...like she can be worthy of traveling with you."

"Worthy? Why would she have to feel _worthy_?" Ash asked, now beginning to sound slightly annoyed. "She's my friend, Brock. I care too much about her to toss her aside for something like _that_."

"Is she really 'just a friend,' Ash?" the breeder questioned, looking firmly at Ash. "The only people you've traveled with longer than May are Misty and me. You've never said anything like this about Misty, or Dawn."

Ash's face flushed slightly. "Well, of course I care about you and Misty and Dawn."

"Mm..." Brock once again turned his back to the younger trainer, continuing to pack calmly. "Misty and I were teachers to you than anything else, back when we first started traveling together." he said after a long pause. "You and Dawn act more like siblings than anything else, when you're together. But with May..._you_ had the chance to take on the role of 'teacher.' She looked up to you, just like you looked up to me and Misty; and I wouldn't be surprised if she still sees you as something of a role model. Admiration like that can easily turn into..." Brock cleared his throat suggestively. "Well, ah...something more." 

Ash threw Brock a doubtful look. "You think May has a _crush_ on me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm almost certain of it." Brock replied cooly, turning around to smirk at Ash. "After all, I'm an expert with women."

"Yeah; an expert in scaring them off." Ash grumbled.

Brock frowned. "Hey, May never told _me_ that she didn't come close to making it to the Grand Festival in Johto." he pointed out. "Give it a chance, Ash. What's the worst that could happen?"

A soft knock came at the door, and without waiting for an answer, Laura opened it. "Got all your things ready, boyos?" she asked. Ash immediately noticed a difference in her; her posture was more relaxed, not so stiff and uptight, and her arms were crossed casually, instead of in a scolding manner. There was the faintest hint of a smirk on the older woman's lips, and a gleam in her eyes. She was surrounded by an air of confident excitement; the kind of charging energy Ash always felt well up in him before a battle. "The battles await."

**Reviews are appreciated, with my promise that I will continue to write and update as much as my schedule allows.**


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